Vodafone and Altice have commenced fibre deployment in Germany through their joint venture OXG Glasfaser.
The goal is up to seven million new fibre connections via FTTH in the next six years. The kick-off is in Neuss, where OXG is building an FTTH network for more than 28,000 households and businesses. In the next few weeks, rollout will follow in Düsseldorf, Marburg, Duisburg and Kassel.
“A year ago, we launched Germany’s largest fibre alliance – with the vision of building up to seven million new fibre connections. Then, six months ago, the EU Commission gave the green light for our plans. Now the excavators are starting to dig. Today in Neuss and by the end of 2024 in 150 cities and municipalities. This will give fibre deployment in Germany a strong boost. At the same time, we are making our cable network even better with additional fibre,” said Vodafone Deutschland CEO Philippe Rogge.
Stefan Rüter, member of the management board at OXG Glasfaser, added: “We are bringing gigabit internet to the cities on our own account. We are implementing our expansion without pre-marketing and without a completion quota to be achieved in advance. This creates security – for cities, for municipalities and for all residents. Our particular focus in the rollout is on the housing industry. Our strategy is working: We are getting very positive feedback from cities and municipalities, the housing industry and property owners.”
OXG stands for ‘open access fibre’ – the business model is based on an open infrastructure with a wholesale approach. This means that residents can decide for themselves which of the providers available via the fibre network they would like to use for their internet access. After completion of the infrastructure, Vodafone will initially take over the initial marketing of the new fibre connections and internet subscription plans. Later, products can also be booked through third-party internet providers.
